


Catfish: The Free! Show

by Snurtlicious



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Post canon, internet dating shenanigans, revision of a fic from last year
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-12 05:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4467332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snurtlicious/pseuds/Snurtlicious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After repeatedly striking out with dating on campus, Makoto stumbles upon a dating website for his university! Without Haru's approval, he decides to make a profile and find someone who will actually stay for an entire date. However, after an incident at the pool, Haru begins to shut Makoto out for an unknown reason. When Haru goes away for a swimming competition and Makoto finally meets someone through the site, what will happen?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Internet Dating

**Author's Note:**

> Hi hi! If you're reading this for the first time then welcome! If this fic seems familiar to you, it's because I decided to revise the one I wrote last October for the sake of my sanity! The ending (like the makoharu merman au) was rushed and ended up not being like I wanted it to be, so I decided to breathe some new life into it so I could adjust the plot pacing and change a few things (including the entire end). Plus there were just a few details that I didn't have a chance to work in that I'm excited to get to redo!

Makoto sighed and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. Another date had gotten up during the middle of dinner and stormed off. Makoto guessed that maybe they thought he was too boring? Either way, he groaned loudly and kicked off his tennis shoes. Glancing up from where the large brunet had buried his face into the pillow, he noticed his roommate, Haru, staring at him with an intense expression. The book in his hand led Makoto the conclusion that he’d accidentally interrupted study time. It hadn’t been intentional by any means; he was just frustrated.

“I take it the date went well.” Haru sat the textbook down and turned in the gray swiveling chair. The black-haired man must’ve expected it, after all. Every date he’d gone on since entering college had ended, or rather been interrupted, in the same manner. Makoto tried, and that was what counted… right?

“I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong, Haru! Everything goes smoothly for the first hour or so, but they always leave right after that!” Makoto complained. “It’s not my breath or my hair, is it? Do my clothes not match?” Makoto almost felt like he was on the verge of tears. The first time it had happened, he was able to shake it off. There was always the possibility that she had been sick, though she never returned any of Makoto’s calls or texts. Even still, it happened again and again, making it the fourth ruined date that left him high and dry before they’d even gotten a chance to get past small talk.

“It’s probably the girls you’ve been taking out.” Haru replied, crossing his arms. “They probably think you’re hot, but get turned off when you open your mouth.” That was one, rather blunt, way to put it. Haru was usually honest with him. Makoto hadn’t really thought about how attractive he was, but he suspected it on some level. Since entering college, Makoto hadn’t found the time to exercise, but his muscle tone hadn’t really decreased since he stopped swimming.

“Do I talk about swimming too much?” Makoto cringed. “I don’t know anything else! Should I get a hobby? Haru, you’re good at a lot of stuff, will you teach me?” Makoto was sad and desperate at that point. The pain of rejection wasn’t something that he was familiar with… at least not in a romantic sense.

Haru turned back to his textbook. “Changing your hobbies is the wrong way to do it.” He pointed out. “You should hold out until you find someone who will take you as you are. I don’t want you to change for anyone.”

As usual, he had a good point. Makoto just needed to wait it out and find someone willing to accept him the way he was, swimming and all. He rolled off the bed, reinvigorated, and changed into his pajamas. It was still somewhat early in the evening, considering his ruined date, but he no longer had anywhere special to be. Peeking over Haru’s shoulder, Makoto realized that he wasn’t studying for any of his classes. The professional swimmer was reading one of the books on swimming that Makoto had left lying around.

“Haru! You should be studying for your own exams instead of reading my swimming manuals!” Makoto scolded him, attempting to grab the text from his hand. “You only swim free, remember? Why are you even reading it?” Haru was usually diligent with his grades, but he always slacked off before exams. Makoto wasn’t sure exactly how he managed to do well, but it could’ve just been that he was naturally intelligent. Makoto, on the other hand, spent a good portion of his time studying like crazy.

“I have a contest next weekend and I wanted to see if there was anything useful.” He relinquished the book to Makoto’s grasp. “I’ll be leaving right after my exam next week.” That explained that. Haru had opted to make a contract with a professional swimming team, but he also elected to go to college for a degree in culinary arts. Makoto was always a bit lonely when Haru went off for competitions, but it was usually a monthly occurrence. On some level, he knew he needed to accept that Haru wouldn’t always be within his grasp.

“Right, I guess I might head back to Iwatobi for the weekend to see everyone.” Makoto settled for that instead. It would be a good way to stave off loneliness. “I’ll tell Rei and Nagisa you say hi if I see them.” It had been a while since he’d been back and he was sure that his twin siblings were clamoring to see him, though he talked to them on the phone weekly. Makoto padded back over to the bed with the book in hand. “Speaking of exams though, I have a quiz on Monday so I should at least skim the chapter before bed.”

The dorm room that they’d gotten together was actually pretty cushy. The room itself wasn’t especially large, but it had two beds, a desk, a private bathroom, and its own kitchen space. The walls were painted a bright blue color, the floor being covered in sand colored tiles. It was almost like living in the beach, even if they’d covered the walls with posters and pictures from home. Back in the cold bed, reading the manual only made Makoto think of how he’d ended up there.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to make it like Haru, who was like a razor shearing through the water with ease. Competitions just weren’t something that Makoto was suited for, not that he had been scouted in the first place. However, the time he’d spent with the children at the swim club had inspired him to go about it a different way. Teaching was something that he had a passion for, and Haru promised that once they’d graduated, Makoto could become his personal trainer and travel the world with him. Of course, he jumped at the opportunity. The two had been together forever, so it only seemed natural to follow Haru around a little longer. Besides, who would keep him from climbing into fish tanks and kiddie pools if Makoto wasn’t there?

Makoto grabbed his laptop from the nightstand to look up a few words that kept popping up that he couldn’t find in the glossary or index. However, the search ended rather quickly when he noticed an ad for online dating for college students. Could that be a feasible option for him? Makoto had seen clips from that show where people faked their identities for extra attention, but he wouldn’t need to do that, would he?

In the end, the brunet decided to throw caution to the wind and open the link. There was no harm in looking, after all. If it ended up being a joke, he’d just go back to his homework and forget all about it. Makoto navigated down the page, scrolling to find his school amongst the vast amount of options that were listed. After the page loaded, he noticed a few random students that had already registered appeared. It was a little shocking that he actually recognized one of the girls from a class he was taking. She was sort of cute, but not really his type, not that his type had been working out.

“Hey, come look at this for a second.” Makoto called Haru over, thinking that he would immediately dismiss the silly website and tell him to get back to studying. He wasn’t even sure why he was drawn to it in the first place; it just seemed like it might be a quick and easy way to find someone on campus rather than just waiting for random girls to approach him. Haru shuffled over quietly and exhaled loudly as he read down the screen.

“Really.” His expression remained the same, but it was an undeniable condemnation of his roommate’s actions. Makoto was a little put off, but he had expected it, so.

“It couldn’t hurt, I mean, I have had zero luck in person, so maybe this could help me.” Makoto reasoned with him. “It might even be fun. Maybe you should make one too!” He suggested, knowing the look Haru was giving him was an irrevocable no. Makoto pressed forward without Haru’s approval.

After registering, Makoto was brought to a page to fill out basic information. It was easy enough to fill out his biography and hobbies, but there was one question that he found himself at a loss for.

“Haru,” he called. “What do you think my best quality is? You’ve known me practically forever, so what is it?” Haru could totally handle this and be able to give Makoto a reasonable answer. He had actually considered putting back muscles like he’d said in the swim club presentation a while back, but that was probably taking the question too literally.

“I would say… you’re like a mom.” Haru answered, confident in his choice.

“Haru.” Makoto groaned. “That’s not going to get someone to date me! At least not, well, you know.” Makoto didn’t need to say anymore. It had happened once in class. Another guy had asked him out on a date, very sweetly so. Makoto was very flattered, totally embarrassed, but he politely declined. Considering his track record with dating, it was probably for the best anyway.

“I answered the question.” He retorted. “It isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It helped us out a lot growing up.” He was right again, but it still wasn’t what Makoto wanted to put… unless he could find a way to word it differently.

“What if I just said that my best quality was being dependable? That doesn’t make me sound too prudish, does it?” Makoto made a loud hmm sound and then decided to go with it. There was always the option to change it later if he wanted, so he moved on. “Alright, I need to choose a good picture.” Makoto hit browse and proceeded to sift through about three years of old photos. He must’ve taken too long because Haru came over and pushed his hand away. After a moment, he pulled up a photo that Makoto had taken at Regionals.

“Use that one. You can see your entire face and body.” Haru turned and paced back into the kitchen. Looking over the picture, he realized Haru was right. Makoto was posed alone, but looked very nice and manly. He was only wearing his swim trunks and club jacket so most of his chest was exposed. Makoto wondered if it would be too awkward to use that. Haru hadn’t steered him wrong very much though, so Makoto trusted his judgment and hit save.

A clink of silverware later and there was a plate of fish over the keyboard. “Eat.” Haru commanded. Makoto chuckled a little and thanked him for the meal. As usual, it was mackerel and some fried vegetables. Makoto put the last few touches on his profile while he ate, completely having forgotten about studying. Once he was done eating, he deposited the plate onto the nightstand and continued looking around online. Dishes could wait until later.

“Hey.” Haru broke him out of the trance. “Don’t leave your dirty plates sitting around.” Makoto sighed and closed the lid of his computer, climbing out of bed to put the plate in the sink.

“Sorry, I got a little caught up with that.” Makoto said sheepishly. He carried the plate over and rinsed off before setting it on the drying rack. It was easier to do it that way, rather than letting them pile up, but he still hated it. Most people could only do something a few hundred times before they loathed it with every fiber of their being.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Haru had opened the laptop back up and was examining Makoto’s page. Makoto smiled a bit in reaction to Haru’s obvious concern.

“Haru, I think it’ll just be harmless fun. Only people on our campus can see the page, so I don’t think I’ll have to worry about getting creeped on or anything.” Makoto was getting a little exasperated. Haru had claimed that Makoto was like a mom, but it seemed to him like Haru was the one doing the mothering over something as inconsequential as a dating profile. He never changed, not that it was a bad thing.

“Double-check before you agree to a date.” Haru cautioned him. “I’ll go with you to meet them the first time.”

“Look,” he replied. “I know we’ve been friends forever, but we’re both grown men now! I think I can handle something as stupid as a date on my own.” Once again, Makoto used his easygoing smirk to try to reassure him. Normally it worked like a charm, but his otherwise intense gaze didn’t falter. That was surprising. Why was he acting so touchy today?

“Be careful. Tokyo isn’t like Iwatobi. There are sick people out there.” He closed the window and then the laptop. “Let’s go swimming.”

Makoto shook his head, suddenly remembering that he was supposed to be studying. “I’ve still got to study for my quiz on Monday. Besides,” Makoto leaned on the edge of his bed. “You only keep getting faster and I haven’t swum at all in months. You’ll blow me away.” Haru’s concerned look still hadn’t ebbed. He tried to get Makoto to swim with him all the time, but after joining a competitive circuit, Makoto felt like he was just holding Haru back. For his career, he didn’t need to slow down for anyone. Not even Makoto.

“Fine.” Haru muttered. “If you finish early, come swim with me.” He climbed off the bed and slipped around Makoto, stepping out the door and slamming it a bit.

“Sure…” Makoto called after him, knowing that Haru hadn’t heard him. It didn’t matter. It was study time and Makoto was serious about not getting distracted. Unlike when he was in high school, there was so much more knowledge about swimming than he originally knew. While Haru was practicing it, Makoto was studying theory. Their heads might’ve been in the same place, but their hearts were worlds apart.

Makoto slipped his glasses off his face after he could no longer stare at the black words against the stark white pages. At that point, it had been nearly two hours and Haru hadn’t returned. It could’ve been that Haru would stay out until Makoto was forced to go find him. That had only happened once because Makoto hadn’t realized what Haru was doing until well into the wee hours of the morning.

Makoto groaned as he stretched out and changed back into his jeans. It would be simple enough to walk over to the pool and pick the other man up. As soon as the door shut, Makoto regretted not grabbing his jacket. He felt even stupider when realized that he left his keys and phone inside, with the door locked behind him. Now he had no choice but to seek out his roommate.

It was late enough in the season that it was cold as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon. Makoto shivered as he passed through the quad, a sharp cold wind cutting through his thin shirt. He pressed on quickly, pushing the door to the pool open quickly to escape from the brisk air.

As soon as the door clicked shut, he saw a graceful dive into the pool. The school’s team didn’t practice on Fridays, so it could only have been one person. Makoto approached the pool slowly, watching the dark form slide gracefully through the water. Haru had always been a fast swimmer, but something changed once he graduated. As impossible as it sounded, he only got faster and faster. Watching him swim still took Makoto’s breath away.

Walking to the end of the pool, Makoto extended his hand to help Haru climb out. “Hey,” he smiled. “Haru.” The black-haired man shook the water out violently, spraying it all over the front of Makoto’s clothing. “Hey!” Makoto laughed. “Cut it out already!”

“Did you come to go swimming with me?” He prompted immediately.

“Sorry, you told me to meet you here and I didn’t want you to wait for me all night again. You shouldn’t get sick before your big competition next week.” Makoto admonished him, shaking his hand in the air a bit so that Haru would get the point already. Hopefully he wouldn’t be too disappointed.

“Come on.” Haru reached up to grab Makoto’s hand and began pulling him down.

“You come on, Haru. Stop messing around, I said I didn’t want to.” Makoto frowned. Apparently Haru wasn’t taking no for an answer this time. He normally wouldn’t use force, but as soon as Makoto let his guard down, Haru propelled him face first into the water. Makoto had never been so grateful to forget his phone. After sputtering for a moment, Makoto broke the surface with a whine.

“Haru! You got my clothes all wet!” Makoto attempted to wade to the pool ladder, but Haru stopped him.

“Where are you going?” He almost had a look of amusement on his face.

“Back to the dorm! I’m soaked and it’s freezing outside! Plus, why would I want to swim in my clothes?” Clearly Haru wasn’t getting the memo, but Makoto wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that Haru had swum fully clothed.

“Wait, not yet.” Haru grabbed his wrist. “I want to show you something.” Releasing him, he dove back underwater, quickly distancing himself from Makoto. Suddenly, the swimmer was shooting like a bullet through the water straight towards Makoto who laughed it off. Haru was just messing with him, he would turn at the last second… right?

“H-Haru?” Makoto stammered, though Haru wouldn’t hear him underwater. Haru slammed into Makoto at full force, latching onto his legs and dragging him underwater. The momentum pushed them both to the bottom, Haru pinning Makoto there. Through the water, Makoto could only vaguely make out Haru’s form. Something came down and pressed to his cheek, though Makoto was struggling too much to determine what it actually was. After a tense moment, Makoto freed himself and broke the surface with a loud cough, Haru behind him.

“Haru, what the hell are you doing?” Blue eyes shot open in surprise, face reddening in uncharacteristic surprise. “Were you trying to drown me?”

He looked away quickly. “No, I… sorry.” The two stood there for an awkward moment before Haru waded to the edge of the pool and climbed out by himself. “Let’s go back to the room.”


	2. Cold Shoulder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto is like every college student ever: thirsty, confused, and sexually frustrated.

Before Makoto even realized it, the week had slipped in and back out. Thursday came out of nowhere, especially considering that he’d stayed up nearly the entire night before helping Haru study for his exams. Makoto ended up not sleeping until well after dawn broke. The alarm that he’d set must’ve gotten turned off, or he’d slept through it in a fit of sheer exhaustion. As Makoto roused gently to the early afternoon light streaming in, he jumped in surprise, tumbling out of bed face first.

After he was sure that his nose wasn’t bleeding, Makoto noted that Haru’s bed had been neatly made with a slip of folded paper lying on the blue pillowcase. He felt a little sad that Haru left without waking him and saying goodbye, but after reading his short note, Makoto realized that Haru was one the one that shut his alarm off in the first place in hopes that he’d get due rest. From the outside looking in, it probably seemed like Haru was the one dependent on Makoto, but Haru always managed to keep his end of things so that it all balanced in the end. It was one of the reasons that the two had maintained their friendship over such an expanse of time. They just worked.

Makoto sighed a little as he sat the note back on Haru’s bed, noticing a smaller slip of paper fluttering gently to the floor. He bent down to grab the small square, realizing that it was a train ticket back home. Makoto found it hard to believe that Haru had gone all the way to the train station and back before leaving. Glancing at the clock, he loosed an exasperated shout. The train was due to depart in less than an hour!

“Haru!” He groaned, suddenly in a frenzy of gathering clothes and attempting to change. “You could’ve at least reset my alarm!” The mess Makoto made in their room would not be soon forgotten, but he would be back before Haru and, hopefully, have plenty of time to clean it back up. Makoto was so swept up in the maelstrom of last minute packing that he barely heard the familiar tone of his phone on the nightstand.

He assumed that it was his parents or Nagisa and Rei asking what time he would be back in Iwatobi, but it ended up being a message from the dating site. After signing up, Makoto waited patiently for his account to get views or hits, but his quest had proven fruitless thus far. Makoto had nearly given up on dating in general, but it seemed like someone had finally decided to give him a chance. As much as he yearned to get on his laptop and check, he had to leave right away or risk missing the train.

Picking up his coat with a heavy yawn, Makoto grabbed his bags and slipped out the door. His luggage was really only an overnight bag with some clothes and his computer tucked inside, but it made him feel like a worldly traveler. He felt a little silly, but he was way too excited about the response on his profile. Nagisa would probably think that it was cool and want to make his own, but Rei would probably waffle over it. Makoto wondered idly as he hustled across the city if either of them were seeing anyone yet.

After panicking for the entire eight blocks, Makoto arrived just in time to hand his ticket off and climb aboard the train before it shot away towards Iwatobi. It was still early in the afternoon so there weren’t many patrons aboard the chilly train with him. Makoto zipped his jacket up the rest of the way and rubbed his hands together to warm them. If Haru had been there, they likely would’ve sat almost on top of each other to conserve warmth. However, it was likely that Haru was on a short, warm flight down south for his competition. Makoto had wanted to wish him luck before he departed, but he supposed he’d have to settle for a quick text message and hope that would suffice.

As the ride endured, Makoto began to doze off in his cushy seat. He had to shake himself back awake out of fear that he would miss his stop and just mess everything up. Thankfully, his phone went off and jarred him back up. He hoped it was a message from Haru, saying thanks or telling him about what he was doing. However, it was simply another message from the dating site. It didn’t go into detail, but apparently the same person had left a message on his profile.

As superficial as it sounded, Makoto really wanted to see a picture of whoever it was before he decided to confirm whether or not he’d be willing to go out with them. He closed his phone and resolved to check it as soon as he was able, but it beeped again as soon as he stuck it away. Makoto furrowed his brows and pulled it back out, pleasantly surprised to see that it was a much awaited reply from Haru. Apparently his plane had just touched down and he was heading to the hotel before practice with the team.

Makoto smiled to himself a bit and replied, wishing Haru more luck and telling him to tell his teammates hello for him. Makoto had only met the guys once or twice when they were in Tokyo, but they were all really kind and seemed to accept Haru’s quirky, less sociable demeanor. They were also ridiculously fast in the pool too, not as fast as Haru though. They tried to get Makoto to swim with them before as well, but it made him feel even more inadequate to even try to stand on their level.

Makoto knew his role was no longer that of a teammate. If anything, he was a supporter and would stand with Haru as long as he was able. On some level, Makoto knew Haru realized that, but he was so resistant for some reason. It made no sense to him, especially considering that apparently Haru thought he was like a mother. Makoto being his number one fan would likely never sit well with Haru who would rather have Makoto in the pool with him

Thinking of that made Makoto sigh as he remembered the events of the previous week. He’d forgotten his glasses or contacts when he met with Haru. After the incident in the pool, Makoto was under the impression that it was one of the rare times that Haru felt playful, but he ended up seeming really upset when they’d left. Haru had been pretty tight-lipped since that night, even more than usual. Makoto figured maybe he had been sick from staying at the pool for so long, but he completely introverted. The first time they had really spoken was when Makoto pinned him down and forced him into studying together.

Even that feat was only accomplished by Makoto promising that he would _actually_ swim with Haru when he returned from his competition. Makoto hadn’t seen Haru’s eyes light up like that in a long time. That must’ve been what prompted Haru to change his alarm and buy his train ticket. He’d really been all over the place for a while, actually. Makoto had usually read him like an open book, but it was as if the he’d shut the cover and Makoto no longer had access to it. Even still, he was sure that he would figure it out eventually. Haru would be sure of it if Makoto took too long.

The train ride continued in radio silence after that and Makoto began to nod off again. However, as soon as his chin slipped down to his chest, a voice boomed through the intercom that they were arriving in Iwatobi. Makoto shot back awake, rubbing his eyes. He fully regretted not sleeping earlier. After stretching a bit, he stood from the seat with stiff legs and headed out of the terminal.

The evening weather was a little on the colder side, more than it had been in the city. Makoto sighed in relief as he headed back down the familiar streets, a bit more than thankful to be back in a place where things seemed to make more sense. Makoto felt a bit awkward as he approached his doorstep. Would it be fine if he just barged in or…? He ended up wimping out and ringing the doorbell instead. After a moment, he heard shouting and then what sounded like a horse galloping towards the door.

“Mako!” Twin voices boomed out of the door before it even opened fully. Makoto dropped his bag and chuckled as he scooped Ran and Ren up into his arms. They’d gotten a little heavier since the last time he had been around, but they seemed more than happy to see their big brother.

“How’ve you two been? Your brother has missed you more than you can imagine!” He took that opportunity to shake his siblings around a bit, garnering them both into a bout of giggles and them simultaneously yelling “quit it!” It was one of the better things about having twin siblings; they reacted the same to most things so it was easier to find ways to tease them.

Setting them back down, Makoto mussed their hair and promised he’d be right back. He grabbed his bag and hurried upstairs to his old bedroom. It was nice to be back home, and before he even realized it, he was texting Rei and Nagisa to let them know he was home. The very instant Makoto hit send, his phone was exploding with messages from Nagisa who had a very heavy-handed way of expressing his excitement. Rei, on the opposite end, sent a singular, modest message that said he would be pleased to see him the following day.

Makoto supposed they’d have to hold on for one more day. He really wanted to see them sooner than later, but it was a Thursday night, after all. Ran and Ren would be off to school and he would have the house to himself until the afternoon. Makoto spotted the corner of his laptop sticking out of his bag and he could barely restrain himself. He’d been itching to check his page since Tokyo, but it would have to wait until after dinner. Makoto already heard his mother calling him downstairs.

The meal was a whirlwind of conversations, mostly regarding classes. Makoto greatly enjoyed getting to catch up with his parents and younger siblings, and before he even realized it, they’d whiled away the evening. His mom went to put the kids to bed while he stayed up with his dad and talked more about grades and how Haru was doing.

“Where is he off to this weekend, again?” Dad asked.

“I don’t actually know the name of the city, he just told me it was somewhere in the south. He doesn’t swim until Saturday though, I know that.” Makoto replied, wondering if Haru had already gone to sleep. It was pretty late and he’d likely barely gotten any sleep the previous night.

“How has his swimming been looking? You’re the expert, so give me your educated opinion!” He laughed, reaching over to pat me on the shoulder. Makoto was thankful his parents had been so supportive of when he expressed an interest in teaching, even if the subject was something as silly as swimming. They understood that he really loved it.

“Honestly, he gets faster every day. It’s almost scary.” He caught himself staring off into space while thinking about it, remembering that he hadn’t gotten a real opportunity to tell him goodbye and good luck aside from a lame text. “I actually need to go call him before it gets too much later, so I’m going to head up to my room.” Makoto bid his father good night, catching his mom on the way upstairs.

Haru was likely already asleep, but it wouldn’t hurt to leave a message. Makoto grabbed his phone off the desk and quickly punched in the familiar digits. It rang and rang, finally going to voicemail. Makoto felt a pang of disappointment, though he was sure that Haru wouldn’t answer the call. “Hey Haru, I just wanted to call and wish you luck at practice tomorrow. I’m sure you’re probably asleep right now, but text me and let me know you got my message, alright? Good night and good luck, Haru!”

Makoto hit the end button and flopped back onto his bed. Hopefully Haru was really sleeping and not ignoring him again. Makoto was aching to know what he’d done, but it would be better to hold out until Sunday, rather than pestering him about it over the phone.

As much as the dating site still loomed over him, Makoto ended up falling asleep then, fully dressed. He was shaken awake the next morning by Ran and Ren when they ran into the room and tackled him on the bed. He hoped that they would’ve grown out of it while he was away, but it looked like some things never changed. Makoto told them through a yawn that he’d be downstairs after he changed clothes.

After wiping the sleep out of his eyes, Makoto settled for changing into a plaid button up that was apparently very flattering. There was no reason that he couldn’t wear a pair of jeans for a few days, so he ended up only bringing a few shirts with him. Hopefully nothing bad would happen? Suddenly Makoto worried about whether or not he’d made a good call. He was sort of clumsy at times, so what if he spilled something on them? He’d have to walk around and look like he peed himself! Makoto checked his dresser in a hurry, thankful that he’d at least left a few outfits behind. Even if there was an accident, he’d be safe.

Makoto spent the next while with his family during breakfast before everyone headed off to work and school. He told them that he was meeting Rei and Nagisa at the school for swim practice so he might not be there when they returned. In the meantime, Makoto finally had the house to himself and he was more than eager to finally see who had hit on his profile.

Waiting impatiently for the laptop to boot up, he opened the internet browser as soon as he was able. After taking three tries to login because he was so excited that he kept messing up the password, he nervously clicked into the inbox. A thought suddenly occurred to him. Had he remembered to check the sexual orientation tab? It had nothing to do with Makoto’s preference, really. It was more like he had been expected to go along with dating girls, so he hadn’t thought much of it. He hadn’t even had a real date until he got to university anyway.

Makoto felt some measure of relief when a picture of a girl loaded up on the screen. She looked a bit like Gou. Her hair was nearly the same shade of red, but her eyes were a delicate shade of blue that reminded me of Haru for some reason. Makoto shook it off. Why was he thinking about the two of them when he had this amazingly cute girl in front of him? He shouldn’t be comparing her to friends anyway. He wanted something completely new and exciting.

Her name was Tsubaki, and her interests lined up with his own pretty well. Her major was listed as cooking and that she specialized in seafood so she’d likely get along with Haru in that aspect. Whatever message she’d sent along seemed to have been devoured by the website or deleted afterwards, so it was up to Makoto to reach out. The only real problem was that Makoto wasn’t sure how to make contact. He’d never asked someone out before. Girls approached him and he always found himself too shy to say no. The only time Makoto had ever declined was when that guy asked him out.

_Hello,_

_My name is Makoto Tachibana, but I guess you already knew that. I’m a first year at the university and I’m majoring in education with a specialization in swimming instruction. I’m excited to get to know you over the computer before we can meet in person. I would offer to come say hello this weekend, but I’m back home visiting family and friends. I’ll be back Sunday afternoon though, so if we hit it off we can meet on Monday for lunch or something like that._

_Best wishes,_

_Makoto_

He read it over, wondering if maybe it was a bit longwinded for the first message. He kept thinking that the whole opening was just regurgitating what it said on his page. He mulled over editing it, but decided against it. Haru would’ve told him that whatever he put was good enough, and if they didn’t like it, not to worry. For some reason, Haru had occupied Makoto’s thoughts a lot in the last few days. He figured it had to do with Haru ignoring him. Makoto felt a bit like he should apologize, but he knew Haru wouldn’t accept it if he didn’t know what he was apologizing for.

Makoto threw caution to the wind with a frown, sending the message as it was. Almost immediately after that, his phone beeped with an invitation from Nagisa. Makoto replied that he was already coming to their practice and he’d see him later. However, that really wasn’t for a number of hours. What was Makoto supposed to do with an entire day all to himself?

His first thought was of Haru, or at least his house. His parents never showed up anymore, so their house sat empty now that Haru had moved to Tokyo. Makoto always found it frustrating that they left Haru alone most of their childhood. They chose to have him, not the other way around. What kind of parents just left their child alone because they were so-called ‘free spirits’? It was irresponsible and nagged at the back of Makoto’s head as he walked down the street. His parents supported him financially, but that still wouldn’t replace them actually being there.

Makoto struggled in vain to push Haru out of his head as stopped in front of the door to his empty house. He really wanted everything to go well for the rest of the weekend. He pulled the key out from under the doormat and prayed for everything to happen easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler Alert: It only kind of does.
> 
> Makoto is having some serious problems here. What's up with Haru? What's up with the fact that he can't stop thinking about Haru?
> 
> Who even knows, it's 8 am and I'm barely awake!!!
> 
> Thanks for reading, catch you next time <3


	3. A Shot in his Darkside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto can't stop thinking about Haru and bad things happen in the locker room when the lights are out.

Makoto rang the bell at Haru’s house and stood there for a moment, laughing when he realized he half-expected Haru to come to the door. Makoto had gotten so used to picking up Haru each morning that he felt the need to check the bathroom once he was inside, just to make sure that Haru wasn’t there through some twist of fate. It wasn’t to say that still didn’t happen on campus, but Makoto was a little less responsible for making sure he got to classes on time.

Makoto sighed heavily through his nose as he stuck the spare key Haru had given him into the door. The entrance way to the house was coated in dust, making him sneeze as he slid out of his loafers and stepped onto the wooden floor. They’d only been away for a few months, but it felt like an entirely different place to him. His chest tightened a little as he walked down the empty halls. He could practically hear Nagisa’s laughter echoing off the walls as he passed the living room.

Sliding past the door of the bathroom, Makoto exhaled in relief. Haru was most definitely _not_ in his bathtub. Makoto didn’t know if he should feel better or worse because of it. All he knew when he felt the cold bite of metal on his leg from when he leaned on the lip of the tub was that he needed to make up with Haru as soon as they were both back home.

Despite not being his own home, the place had so many memories for him. Makoto wondered if he went back with Haru next time if he would want to sit around and reminisce about old times. It had been far too long since he’d met Rei and Nagisa, and he missed them more than he could explain. They’d had a big going away party with Gou and Rin before they left for Tokyo. He never imagined that his parents would cry, but it only made everyone else cry. Next thing he knew, the party had turned into a crying fest. He chuckled a little when he recalled the big stains at the bottom of Rei’s cardigan. Makoto was sure Nagisa had used it as a tissue.

He wondered if Rin was going to be with Haru at the contest. They had swum together a few times, but Makoto felt like Haru would’ve mentioned it to him. Makoto admittedly was a little jealous of their relationship, but it was far too late for him to do anything to join them on the national circuit. Who would want a backstroke swimmer that couldn’t even make it to nationals? Whatever.

Makoto spent a long time staring at the dry tub. Things around the house had been in order, but the bathtub was the most important. He’d watched Haru there a million times. Haru always said he loved how the water felt, but Makoto thought it looked like he was trying to drown himself. He’d always smile and help him climb out. He never seemed to mind, so Makoto let him do as he wanted. They were both lucky that no one ever wondered why they rushed into class right as the bell rang regularly.

Makoto took one last look down the hall, feeling a vague sense of melancholy. He could still see Haru standing in the kitchen in an apron and his swimsuit, the oil he cooked with sizzling and popping onto the fabric. There was something that was inescapable about mackerel. He just couldn’t stop thinking about Haru! Makoto had to get out of there and clear his head.

He closed the door snugly behind him, quietly clicking the lock back into place. He couldn’t say when the next time he would be there was, so he took one last look before hurrying away from his gloomy feelings.

Checking the time, Makoto realized it was just a little after noon. He had a couple hours before it was time to meet Rei and Nagisa, so what was he supposed to do until then? What were his usual hobbies? Swimming, school, hanging out with Haru? Makoto really needed to get a hobby.

Makoto spent a good bit of time after that exploring the familiar streets of his town, enjoying the feeling of being somewhere he once called home. There was something about the gentle scent of the sea that Makoto could hear off in the distance that comforted him. If anything, the sea smelled like home and memories, with a hint of anxiety. He probably would never feel really comfortable in the open water.

Rounding a corner, Makoto had to pause when he saw a tall redhead down the path ahead of him.

“Rin?” He whispered to himself. What would he be doing at home? Makoto picked up the pace and shortened the distance between them until he was sure that it was no one else. “Hey, Rin!” He called.

The other man stopped on his heels, tossing his head to the side in a look of surprise. Once Rin realized that it was Makoto, his surprised turned into an easygoing grin as the rest of his body shifted to face him.

“Makoto? What the hell are you doing back here?” Rin seemed to be in great shape, even better than when they were in high school. Of course, Haru had only gotten more fit as well. He suddenly felt even worse about not swimming with Haru. Rin would likely quip about how Makoto was looking weak.

“I had a free weekend and thought I’d come to visit the folks. You’re the last person I expected to see though, I figured you’d be down south with Haru for the competition.” Makoto was still happy to see a familiar face, despite how thoughts of Haru lurked on the edge of his mind. No matter what, it seemed like everything he did in Iwatobi led him back there.

“There was a contest this weekend?” He raised an eyebrow. “Maybe it was just collegiate or something, I don’t know.” That was a little weird, but Makoto didn’t mind it too much. “Nice to see this place never changes though, y’know?” Rin gazed wistfully up at the sky. “Least it’s easy to remember directions.”

Makoto laughed. “You’re right, it really doesn’t. Makes me wish Haru was here, I’m sure he’d be happy to see you.” Makoto mentally kicked himself. He had to stop talking about Haru.

“Hell no, he’s seen me three times in the last two months. Probably can’t stand the sight of me anymore.” He scoffed with a haughty grin on his face.

“Oh,” he faltered. “I didn’t know he’d seen you recently. He hadn’t said anything, not that he’s really said much to me in the last week.” And there it was. Makoto’s gaze fell to the pavement with a dull sigh.

“Oi, you alright, Makoto? You look worse than a dog that’s been kicked. Troubles in paradise?” Rin brought his hand up and put it on Makoto’s shoulder, leaning down to catch his line of sight.

“It’s just… Haru hasn’t been talking to me and I can’t figure out what in the world I did.” Makoto admitted, feeling bad that he hadn’t spoken to Rin in months and Haru was still the topic of conversation.

Rin hiked his thumb down the street. “Let’s head down and grab a drink and we’ll talk. My treat.” He flashed another grin and began walking. Maybe talking it out would be a good way to deal with it. If Rin knew, maybe he’d be able to ease Makoto’s endless worrying.

A few blocks down was a small café that Makoto had only been two once or twice. It had opened in the middle of the summer before he left for university, but he remembered it being pretty good. The interior was painted a warm, chocolate color and the floor was tiled a creamy white color. It was almost like he’d walked into an upside down espresso with foam.

Rin went up to the counter while Makoto claimed them a table against the wall. After a few moments, Rin returned with two cups and slid into the chair across from Makoto.

“Alright, so what’s the issue?” He stuck the straw in his mouth and took a long drink.

“I’m not exactly sure. I haven’t really been swimming lately and Haru finally tricked me into meeting him at the pool, but after we left there he started being really distant. I managed to get him to study with me the other night, but that was really the only time he said more than two words to me the whole week.” Makoto pouted, resting his cheek on his hand.

“Is this the first time Haru’s given you the cold shoulder?” Rin leaned forward in his chair, hunching his shoulders over a little. “Has to be, you seem way too down just because he’s been a little withdrawn.” Makoto hadn’t really considered it that way. He and Haru didn’t argue… except for that once. Even so, they’d made up relatively easily and been stronger for it later.

“It is.” Makoto replied. “Other than the festival incident, we’ve never even really disagreed on anything.” Rin threw his head back and laughed, disturbing the elderly woman reading a newspaper across the room.

“You two are really something. Sousuke and I fight twice a week, and don’t even get me started on how much Ai yells at me when he thinks I’m slacking.” Rin wiped his eye and chuckled as his laughter ebbed. “Haru’s just trying to make you sweat it out. Give him some space and when he gets over it, he’ll let you know what the problem was.” That made it sound so easy. How was he supposed to know what to do when the person he’d known forever shut him out?

“I guess that’ll have to work.” Makoto rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone to check the time. There was an email from the dating site that I’d been too depressed to notice. I opened it quickly and saw that Tsubaki had messaged me back, though it was a short reply to my introduction message.

_Dear Tachibana,_

_I am surprised to see you messaged me back like that. I haven’t been having very much luck on campus, but you looked nice and you’re interested in swimming. One of my favorite things to cook is fish, so I’m sure we’ll get along swimmingly. Don’t worry about not being on campus. I am at home this weekend as well, so I wouldn’t be able to meet up either._

_Let’s meet for dinner on Sunday,_

_Tsubaki Fukuotomi_

Makoto perked up a little and closed his phone, setting it back in his pocket.

“You got another girlfriend, eh? I heard that you’ve been burning through chicks like crazy, Makoto.” Rin sneered a little. “I never really pegged you for the heartbreaker type.” How would Rin take that it was an online dating thing?

“Actually,” he muttered. “It’s through an online dating site? I always get dumped on the first date when I meet people on campus, so I figured I could give it a shot.” It was so embarrassing to say out loud. “I’m sure you get asked out all the time though, right??”

Rin’s cheeks reddened a little. “Not as often as you might think, actually. I think girls are scared of me or something so none of them really chat me up.” He laughed a little nervously, spurring Makoto to laugh in earnest.

“Don’t worry, I think I’ve gotten too much attention. We should trade, but don’t talk about swimming. Apparently girls think swimming is a turn-off or something.” Makoto did feel a little better.

“Huh?” Rin’s eyebrows furrowed in a look of concern. “What the hell else would I talk about then? All I do is swim!” He shouted, slamming his hands down on the table. His genuine panic only made Makoto laugh even harder.

“That’s exactly what I said!” The two of them sat there and laughed at the follies of their lives. Makoto finally picked up his drink, taking a long swallow of the iced coffee. He was really thankful that he’d run into Rin. Spending time with him and talking it out had helped him tremendously and he was determined to let Haru have whatever space he wanted.

“How long are you here for, Makoto?” Rin put his hands in his pockets as they left the café. “My flight down under leaves tomorrow.”

“I’m here ‘til Sunday morning. I have class on Monday.” Makoto’s phone beeped in his pocket, but he ignored it. “I’m supposed to meet Rei and Nagisa later, you should come along. I’m sure they’d be happy to see you.”

“Actually, I saw them the other day.” Rin shrugged. “They came home with Gou to visit and we hung out before they went off to study anatomy or something. High schoolers.” He scoffed.

“Oh, well I don’t want to keep you if you have somewhere else to be. You look like you need to get out of here.” Makoto could tell he was ready to split. Rin probably wouldn’t have even stopped if Makoto hadn’t come along and distracted him.

“I was supposed to be shopping for a few things for my mom.” Rin shook his head. “Every time I come and go, she insists on making me a going-away dinner. It happens once a month, I don’t know why she makes such a big deal about it.” Makoto laughed once more.

“At least you know she cares about you.” Makoto smiled, feeling a lot lighter than he had.

“That’s such a ‘Makoto’ thing to say. I’ll catch you later, man.” Rin wrapped his arms around Makoto in a light hug before the two men parted ways. Hopefully things would be better the next time he and Rin met and they could talk about something else.

Makoto checked that message on his phone, realizing it was Nagisa saying that he’d convinced Rei to skip class so they could meet early at the pool hall. Makoto wondered how on earth he’d managed that, but was actually glad he didn’t have to keep waiting around for school to end. A quick train ride later, and Makoto was a short walk away from his alma mater.

After graduation, Makoto knew he’d only ever come back to the high school to visit Rei and Nagisa. Even so, as he followed the path, he could only think about running every morning to make it on time, or Nagisa chasing Rei to get him to join the swim team; Haru trying to get Makoto to skip their first classes and go to the pool instead.

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind and meandered to the pool. Hopefully he wouldn’t encounter any staff members. Makoto elected to not get a guest pass since he was only going to be there for a few hours. It likely wouldn’t matter if he pretended like he was supposed to be there. He wasn’t too old to pretend to be a high schooler.

Climbing the steps quietly, Makoto could smell the chlorine before he ever saw the water. Everything was in order, though someone had forgotten their goggles at the end of the lane. They almost looked like Rei’s, but he was far too conscientious to leave them sitting out like that. After making it to nationals, the swim team had gained a lot of attention from the school. Nagisa told him that they raked in five new members to bump them up to seven, or eight including Gou. Makoto was incredibly psyched and a bit disappointed they hadn’t joined when he was still there.

Makoto scanned around for his friends before stepping into the building to search for them. They could’ve gotten caught sneaking away and given detention, but Nagisa was a sly fox so he’d try to pin it on Rei if it happened. He was good at faking innocent so that everyone would believe him, like Pangea was even a place.

He stopped outside the door for the locker rooms, figuring he’d just peek in and see if everything was like he remembered it. The light was turned off, despite the fact that the door was a little ajar. Makoto peaked through the opening, jaw dropping at the shadows he could see. He wasn’t sure what to make of the pink striped swimsuit that he realized had kept the door from closing all the way, but he connected the dots astonishingly fast.

Rei’s goggles and Nagisa’s swimsuit, coupled with two shadows in the dark locker room could only mean one thing. Makoto had to bite his tongue as he ran back outside, blushing all the way up to his ears. The only thing he could even consider was calling Haru and screaming forever.

A quick button press later, “Haru, oh my god, Haru, you’re not going to believe what I just saw.” Makoto shouted frantically as soon as he answered.

“Calm down and tell me what happened.” Haru sounded irritated that Makoto had called him out of the blue, but it was urgent, so urgent that Makoto was hyperventilating a little.

“Rei and Nagisa invited me up to the school early because they were skipping class to see me, so,” he paused and took a deep breath. “I came all the way up here to see this and I stumbled on them in the locker room and I don’t know how else to say this but I think that Rei and Nagisa are gay because I’ve never seen two guys on top of each other like that but Rei was putting it in his butt _so hard_ , Haru.” Makoto was flabbergasted.

A long moment passed before Haru finally answered. “Makoto, they’ve been at that since they met. Why do you think that they spent so much time together?”

“What?” Makoto cried, probably loud enough to alert the two to his presence. “You can’t be serious, Haru! I really feel like that’s something I would’ve noticed.” Makoto felt a little distraught and betrayed. He thought he knew them both really well, but he guessed he was wrong. They never really spoke about dating, so how of course Makoto would remain blissfully unaware.

“I have to go. Tell them I said hi when they’re done.” The phone beeped. Apparently Makoto wasn’t back on his good side yet and he could feel how red his face was.

Makoto heard the door fly open and crash into the wall behind him. “Mako, Mako!” Nagisa yelled, ensuring that Makoto would _not_ get his wish for peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cried while I wrote the end of this chapter. I had Nagisa and Rei just making out when I first wrote it, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and traumatize Makoto as much as possible. This rewrite is a gift that I cannot explain, but I hope that you all like it because I enjoy it very much.

**Author's Note:**

> Whee, that was fun right? I've been told this online dating au is sort of fun, especially since it takes place when Makoto and Haru are in college after the ending of Eternal Suffer-- I mean, Eternal Summer, right.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! Catch you next time <3


End file.
